Heavy blow to Abu Dhabi mosquitoes as Tadweer wipes out breeding sites

More than two million mosquito breeding sites have been eliminated in Abu Dhabi since the start of the year.

Half of these were in farmland and the rest in public areas.

Authorities also received 3,853 call-out requests to deal with the insects. The figures were revealed by the Centre for Waste Management Abu Dhabi, or Tadweer, yesterday. Tadweer has 91 vehicles and 380 workers to deal with these cases.

A mosquito prevention campaign was run by the centre from June to August, directed chiefly at farmers but also members of the public.

Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water and Tadweer has urged farmers to cover water tanks and irrigation ponds, while water pipes and septic tanks should be sealed.

In cities and towns, mosquitoes can breed in villa fountains, water features, leaking pipes and even flower pots. Tadweer said washing cars was not a problem but advised homeowners to keep their premises free of stagnant water. Mohammed Al Marzouqi, pest control projects director at the centre, said the campaign was about protecting public health and preventing disease.

“The public health pest control projects division at Tadweer monitors mosquito breeding sites across the emirate through regular inspections and field surveys,” Mr Al Marzouqi said.

“After identifying the pest types and analysing data, we spray the infected areas using environmentally safe products.”

Mosquitoes can carry malaria but the UAE was certified malaria-free in 2007. They can also transmit diseases such as yellow and dengue fever and West Nile virus.

Authorities held awareness workshops, distributed leaflets and contacted farmers over the past few months.

Tadweer also published an information brochure for farm owners and workers in Arabic and Urdu.